Inspired by my recent Thai cooking class, I stopped by the local Asian food mart in search of galangal, shrimp paste and fish sauce for green curry sauce. As I stood in line to pay I spotted a big bin of freeze dried durian. Normally I only make last minute impulse purchases when chocolate is involved, but having recently seen and read so much about the much-maligned fruit, I quickly grabbed a bag and added it to my basket.

Ok, so while I was excited to tear into the package, it wasn’t in the same way that I might anticipate a creamy chocolate bar or moist cake snack. Instead, I was eager to taste this indescribable king of fruits. What does it taste like? Indeed, it is indescribable. The best I can do is to say that, the freeze dried version anway, tastes like very strong, stale Japanese rice cracker snack mix with a fishy, salty aftertaste.

After doing some research, it seems that the gasses the fruit emits is likely to contribute to the intense flavor. Since there’s no gas in the freeze dried form, I’m guessing it’s much milder than taking a bite out of the fresh, chewy flesh.

I ate one piece and stored the rest away in a sealed bag–if anyone has a hankering, let me know. I don’t intend to finish the bag!

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